2023-09-09 22:41:00
The International Red Cross warned this Saturday that Morocco could need “months and even years” of help to rebuild the areas affected by the earthquake that left more than 1,000 dead, and warned that 24 to 48 “critical” hours are now coming.
“We anticipate many months and even years of response,” said Hossam Elsharkawi, regional director for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
“This will not be a one or two week response, as our region already saw with the great earthquake in Turkey and Syria at the beginning of the year,” he emphasized.
Moroccan Red Crescent teams were immediately deployed on the ground to “assess the situation, support search and rescue operations and bring aid to affected populations, in close coordination with the IFRC and local authorities,” highlighted the statement from the International Red Cross.
The assistance provided by the Moroccan Red Crescent is multiple: “first aid, psychological support and help transporting the injured to hospitals,” listed the International Red Cross, clarifying that “some of the most affected areas are remote and mountainous, and therefore difficult to access”.
“In any case, the IFRC is working hard to support the Moroccan Red Crescent to study the situation and is prepared to deploy its emergency response teams within 24-48 hours, according to needs,” he added.
“The next 24 to 48 hours will be critical to saving lives. Search and rescue efforts will be the priority, obviously, ensuring that those rescued are cared for,” added Caroline Holt, global director of operations at the International Federation of Societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
“We must treat the dead with dignity, bring drinking water to the population and ensure that a disaster within a disaster does not occur. Hygiene must truly be preserved,” he added.
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